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Friday, October 25, 2013

It's becoming an obsession!

I'm developing a serious new obsession. Yes, you got it! I'm getting rather addicted to sewing. I've always loved bags and sewing bags is my new obsession. There are so many pretty fabrics out there and so many opportunities for making fab bags. I must admit, some of my attempts so far have been less than successful. Some of them I've cut up so I can re-use some of the fabric and the zippers, magnetic poppers, d-rings etc for new creations. 
I indulged in a bit of fabric stash enhancement last week. After teaching in Bovey Tracey last week, I stopped at Serendipity to check out their fabric selection. So much pretty stuff but I only got 3 fat quarters. I'm planning to make some project bags with these. I also need  new make up bag.

Last Friday I was teaching at Social Fabric in Totnes and Caroline now stocks a small but very beautiful collection of fabrics. I was very tempted but I managed to resist most of the fabric and only got 1/2m each of these two prints.
One of my problems is that I don't like following patterns. That's why I started designing knitwear. Apparently I have the same problem with sewing. But I do think I need to follow sewing patterns as they do teach me new things every time I do follow a pattern. 

At Yarndale, the lovely lady from Future Publishing, who was on the stall next to us, gave me a copy of Mollie Makes. It was the first time I read Mollie Makes but it won't be the last. This little bag caught my eye.
I decided the blue 'insect' linen fabric I got last week would be perfect and I had a pretty pink flower furnishing fabric which would work for the lining. The Mollie Makes pattern had great step by step instructions but what I didn't like was the template. The template had a note on it to enlarge by 400% or you could download a full size version online. Well, my printer can't print that big. I would have liked it if the template in the magazine had the measurements typed on it so it would be easier to draw out my own template. In the end I drew out the template directly on the fabric and worked out I'd have just about enough. I had 1/2m but the pattern said it required 90cm. Nearly twice of what I had. I did have to cut the gussett piece in three pieces and sew them together into one long strip instead of cutting one long strip.
I ironed interfacing to both the outer and lining fabric pieces and I love the structure and stability of the final bag. The original bag had 4 pleats on each side which i originally decided not to include but last night after I'd finished the bag I decided it really did need the pleats so I added 2 pleats on each side this morning.
Instead of a button and button loop I added a magnetic popper. The pattern was easy to follow but I wish I'd made the handles longer but I didn't have enough fabric to do that. The only part of the pattern I struggled with was joining the top of the handles.
I love pockets and this bag didn't have any so I added a small zipped pocket and 2 mobile phone size slip pockets and a pen pocket. I don't have 2 mobile phones but the second slip pocket can hold my knitters tool tin or a pack of tissues and lip stick. The bag is fairly big. Slightly bigger than the pattern and I love it.
 Last week I made another bag. See, I told you it's an obsession! I found a pretty pale blue spotty laminated cotton fabric at our local Trago Mills (the Liskeard branch has a big fabric department which cheap fabric). I used the pink flower fabric for the lining (yes it's the same as the lining for the Mollie Makes bag).
I love this bag and have been using it since I finished it.  I used some clip on handles. The only thing I don't like about this bag is that it's a bit too tall. I could probably do with cutting an inch or two off the bottom of the bag but I struggled sewing the bottom on so I may just leave it.
 I wanted a pocket to put my Nexus 7 tablet in so I made a padded front pocket. I also put a mobile phone pocket in this pocket so I can grab my phone quickly.
 Inside the main bag I've got a loop to attach my keys to, a zipped pocket and a 'phone sized' slip pockets and 2 pen pockets.
The top of the main compartment has a zip. I did forget to add the handle loops before I put the zipper in so had to unpick 4 small sections to add the handle tabs. The bag is big enough for all my day to day stuff plus a small knitting project bag. Apart from the Mollie Makes bag this is my favourite bag so far and yes, it's my own design.

I've done a lot of knitting this week too but I'll share that tomorrow. My next sewing project will be a bag to use for my teaching supplies. I've got a pattern for that.

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